Sprinkler for extinguishing fires.



No. 804,805. PATENTED Nov. 14,1905.

, J. FIDDES. SPRINKLER FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.21, 1903.

Witnesses.

Mic/Z4 Inventor UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES FIDDES, OF ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND.

SPRINKLER FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1905.

Application filed December 21, 1903. Serial No. 186,017.

occurring within a building; and it has for its object to provide a simple and inexpensive construction of apparatus which is automatically brought into action on a sudden rise of temperature.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention. Figure 1 is a plan; Fig. 2, a side elevation; Fig. 3, an end elevation; and Fig. 4, a part plan to a larger scale of the improved apparatus, which comprises a water-pipe at, having secured upon it bracketsupports Z), carrying each a grooved pulley 0, over which a copper or other wire d, attached at one end at b to one of the brackets, is led and kept taut by means of a weight a at the free end. The water-pipe a is formed with a branch or nozzle a, whose open end is normally closed by a disk or other valve f, held upward against a seat on the open pipe end by means of a strut g, composed of a glass rod or tube or other easily-fractured bar, which is supported at its lower end by means of a cross-head 72, secured by bolts 4; to a flange j, around the branch-pipe outlet.

On'the pi pe-flange is hinged or pivoted a lever-arm 7r, terminating in a bob or weight In, the said arm being normally supported in an approximately horizontal position by means of a spring-blade Z, rigidly attached at one end to the pipe-flange j, and having at its free end a small hole Z or other catch engaging a stud on the lever-arm it.

In the operation of the apparatus on sudden rise of temperature the wire d expands and allows the weight 6 to descend until a wedge-block e at its under side enters between the lever-arm is and the blade-spring Z, so as to press the latter aside by wedge action, whereupon the stud on the lever-arm is disengaged from the hole Z in the spring, and the weighted lever-arm 7c is allowed to drop or swing on its pivot center. As the leverarm falls or swings downward aknob or projection k on it is brought violently into contact with the glass rod or otherstrut g, supporting the valve f, whereby the strut is broken or displaced and the valve f allowed to drop from its seat, so that water may freely escape from the pipe a.

A number of sprinkler branches may obviously be formed upon a length of water-piping within a building and each fitted with a normally closed valve, which is opened on rise of temperature by a swing lever-arm automatically released on rise of temperature by devices constructed and arranged as described.

Having now described my invention. what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a fire-extinguishing apparatus, the combination with a discharge-pipe, of releasable means normally stopping the outflow from said pipe, a stretched wire, and devices adapted to he released on expansion of said wire to release said stopping means.

2. In a fire-extinguishing apparatus, the combination with a discharge-pipe, of releasable means for normally stopping the outflow from said pipe, a stretched wire, a lever pivoted at a point which is fixed in relation to said pipe, which lever is released on expansion of said wire to release said stopping means.-

3. In a fire-extinguishing apparatus, the combination with a discharge-pipe, of releasable means normally stopping the outflow from said pipe, devices for releasing said stopping means, a stretched wire, a weight maintaining said wire under tension and adapted on expansion of said wire to release said releasing devices.

4. In a fire-extinguishing apparatus, the combination with a wire fixed at one end and carried over the area to be protected,of asheave over which the wire passes, a weight secured to the end of the wire, a sprinkling mechanism, and controlling means therefor adapted to be operated by the said weight when the latter is lowered by the expansion of the wire under the influence of undue heat.

5. In a fire-sprinkler, the combination with a fluid-discharge pipe, of means normally closing the outlet from said pipe, a stretched wire, and devices adapted to be released on expansion of said wire to remove said outletclosing means, substantially as described.

6. In a fire-sprinkler, the combination with a fluid-discharge pipe, of means normally closing the outlet from said pipe, a stretched wire, and a weighted lever which is released on expansion of said stretched wire to remove said outlet-closing means, substantially as described.

7. In a firesprinkler, the combination with afluid-discharge pipe, of means for normally closing the outlet from said pipe, a stretched wire, and a lever pivoted to said pipe and released on expansion of said wire to remove said outlet-closing means, substantially as described.

8. In a fire-sprinkler, the combination with a fluid-discharge pipe, of means normally closing the outlet from said pipe, a wire, supports between which said wire is stretched, a weighted lever adapted when released to remove said outlet-closing means, means normally supporting said lever and means acting on expansion of said wire to cause said leversupporting means to release said lever, substantially as described.

9. In a fire-sprinkler, the combination with a fluid-discharge pipe, of-means normally closing the outlet from said pipe, devices for removing said outlet-closing means, a stretched wire, and a weight maintaining said wire under tension, and adapted on expansion of said wire to release said devices, substantially as described.

10. In a fire-sprinkler, in combination with a fluid-discharge pipe, a valve on the outlet of said pipe, destructible means for normally holding said valve closed, devices serving in their operation to destroy said valve-closing means, and a stretched wire adapted on expansion to actuate said devices.

11. In a fire-sprinkler, in combination with a fluid-discharge pipe, a valve on the outlet of said pipe, means for normally holding said valve closed, a weighted swing-lever pivoted on the discharge-pipe, means for normally holding said lever, means adapted to disengage said lever, and a metallic Wire adapted on expansion to operate said disengaging means whereby the swing-lever is released and by falling displaces said valve-closing means, substantially as described.

12. In a fire-sprinkler, in combination with a fluid-discharge pipe, a valve on the outlet of said pipe, a strut for holding said valve closed, a swing-lever arm, a catch for normally holding said lever-arm, and a metallic wire adapted on expansion to disengage said catch from said lever-arm to displace said strut and open the valve, substantially as described.

13. In a fire-sprinkler, in combination with a fluid-discharge pipe, an inlet branch on said pipe, a valve on'said branch, a strut for holding said valve normally closed, a swing-lever arm, a spring-catch for holding said leverarm, means for releasing said spring-catch, and a stretched wire adapted on expansion to operate said catch-releasing means whereby said lever-arm is disengaged so as to displace said strut and open the valve, substantially as described.

14;. In a fire-sprinkler, in combination with a fluid-discharge pipe, a valve on the outlet of said pipe, a strut for holding saidvalve normally closed, a swingrleverarm, a springcatch for holding up said lever, an expansible wire and a weight connected to one end of said wire, said weight having a wedge-shaped projection formed thereon, and said wedge being adapted on dilation of said wire and fall of said weight, to disengage said springcatch as described.

15. In a fire-sprinkler, in combination with a fluid-discharge pipe, two bracket-supports on said pipe, pulleys mounted on said bracketsupports, an expansible wire connected to one of said supports and passing around said pulleys, a weight connected to the loose end of said wire, said weight being formed with a wedge-shaped projection as shown, an outlet branch on said discharge-pipe, a valve normally closing said outlet, a flange on said discharge-pipe, a cross-head, bolts securing said flange to said cross-head, a fragile strut supported by said cross-head, a swing-lever pivoted to said flange, and a spring-blade attached to said flange and supporting said lever, said spring-blade being adapted to be released from engagement on dilation of said wire as and for the purpose set forth.

16. In a fire-sprinkler, in combination, the water-pipe a, bracket-supports b secured to said pipe (0, grooved pulleys 0 carried by said supports 6, the wire cl attached to one of said brackets, the Weight 6 for keeping said wire d taut, the valve f, the strut g of friable material normally closing said valve f, the crosshead it, bolts 7 and flange j for supporting said strut g, the lever-arm k pivoted to the flange j, the spring-blade Z rigidly attached to the flange j and having an orifice Z engaging a stud on said arm 7" the wedge-block on said Weight 0, and the projection 76 on said arm in, as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two sub- Witnesses:

WALLACE FAIRWEATHER, J NO. ARMSTRONG, J unr. 

